Tofu Ricotta and Spinach Calzones

I am writing a cookbook, y’all! The idea came to me when I came very, very close to writing to a famous vegan cookbook author and asking when she was going to write a sandwich cookbook. I love sandwiches SO MUCH and would love to have a sandwich cookbook on my shelf. And I didn’t just want it to have sandwiches in it; I wanted tacos, spring rolls, burgers, little handheld appetizers – basically anything you could eat with your hands. Then I thought “but it probably wouldn’t have enough taco recipes in it” and “no one can do spicy the way I do spicy” and realized I wanted to write it myself.

The drawback was the breads. A good sandwich cookbook needs bread recipes in it, I think, or you’re at the mercy of the grocery store. So I set out to learn to make great bread, got that mostly down, but then got off track with the idea of writing a cookbook.

I keep a file of ideas for things to make for the blog, and the sliders and tofu po’boys I made recently were both ideas that were meant for the book. When they were both successful after the second try each, I was reminded. And so, it’s time.

The tentative title is “Handheld” and will include breakfast sandwiches, appetizers, grilled things, burgers, all kinds of classic sandwiches like paninis and BBQ seitan, wraps, tacos (yes!), salad sandwiches, and desserts.

My goal is to finalize at least one recipe a day, which means cooking more than one a day. So I’m not going to be blogging as much, and when I do, it might just be a photo, or a link to someone else’s recipe I’ve made as a side dish. Hell, I might start using the blog as a journal. You wouldn’t mind if I vented a bit here, would you?

Also, are there any sandwich-type recipes that you would like to see in the book? I’ll do my best to make ’em! And in a couple of months (my goal is October 1) I’m going to put out a call for recipe testers, but you’re welcome to sign up early if you’re interested.

These calzone recipes won’t be in the book because they rely too much on the tofu ricotta recipe from Veganomicon, but other calzone recipes will be there.

Add water, yeast and all-purpose flour to a medium bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with dough hooks. Combine well with a fork, cover, and let stand for 45 minutes to an hour. The mixture will bubble up and expand.

Add vital wheat gluten, sugar, salt, and olive oil and combine with a fork. If you’re using a stand mixer to knead the dough, start it now. Add remaining flour, stopping to combine the last of the flour with a fork if necessary. Let mixer knead dough for 5 minutes on low, or turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. If dough is sticky, add more flour as necessary, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time.

Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour until doubled in size.

Filling:

1/2 cup raw cashews

14 ounces/400 g firm tofu, crumbled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice – from 2-3 lemons

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1 pound/450 g chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 or 5 artichoke hearts from a can (about 1/2 a can), roughly chopped

Grind cashews in a food processor until they are powder. (This works great with frozen cashews.) Add tofu, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt, thyme and red pepper flakes. Puree, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice.

Transfer mixture to a bowl. Stir in spinach and artichokes.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Punch down dough and divide into 6 pieces. Roll out each piece into a 7-inch circle. Divide filling among the circles, placing the filling in the middle. Fold circles in half and press the edges with a fork to seal them.

My son is entering first grade in September so I’m on the lookout for great sandwich recipes for packed lunches. I’d love to throw my hat in the ring to be a recipe tester — we love sandwiches and all handheld yummies around here.